On 12 December 2017 the Mykola Zerov Centre for Ukrainian Studies hosted a lunch at a Southbank restaurant for the Centre's chief benefactors, Mr Victor Rudewych OAM and Ms Maria Rudewych.

The gathering provided an opportunity for Monash Rudewych PhD Scholars in Ukrainian Studies Denys Shestopalets and Olha Shmihelska, as well as Monash Rudewych Postdoctoral Fellow in Ukrainian Studies Dmytro Yesypenko, to meet in an informal setting with the donors who have made possible the scholarships and fellowship that they hold.

The lunch also provided an opportunity for conversations involving the donors, the new Lecturer in Ukrainian Studies, Dr Alessandro Achilli, and Zerov Centre director Professor Marko Pavlyshyn.